This invention relates to the art of fishing, and particularly to a fishing sinker which aids in aligning a fishhook so that the main barb of the hook extends either upward or downward in the mouth of the fish as the fish bites.
It is well known in the art of fishing to attach weighs or sinkers to a fishing line to cause the hook to sink to a specific depth. Both round weights and teardrop shaped sinkers are known. Round weights have a disadvantage when they are attached near the hook. Because round weights only engage the fishing line, the fishhook is free to rotate with respect to the weight. The orientation of the hook with respect to the fish's mouth is therefore random. If a fish strikes the hook and overbites to include the weight, the weight provides a gap through which the hook can be pulled sideways, thereby exiting the mouth of the fish without engaging the hook barb. This "miss area" created by the round weight increases with the size of the weight attached to the line.
An object of the present invention is to eliminate this "miss area" by providing a means to orient the hook inside the fish's mouth so that the hook cannot escape sideways through the opening in the fish's mouth created by the sinker.
In accordance with the present invention, a fishing sinker includes locking means for securing the fishhook in a predetermined orientation with respect to the sinker. The sinker further includes alignment means for rotating the sinker relative to the fish's mouth to direct the main barb of the fishhook toward either the upper or lower portion of the fish's mouth when the fish bites the sinker.
The present invention comprises a sinker which surrounds the fishing line and includes a slot in the base for inserting the eye of a fishhook to secure the fishhook in a predetermined orientation with respect to the sinker.
The body of the sinker of the present invention is generally conical in shape, but the body is configured to have an elliptical cross section across the longitudinal axis to provide front and back portions that are wider than its side portions. When a fish strikes the sinker, the force of the bite will cause the sinker to rotate so that the front and back portions rest between the upper and lower portions of the fish's mouth. By positioning the barb of the hook substantially perpendicular to the front and back portions of the sinker, the main bar will be oriented toward either the upper or lower portion of the fish's mouth and therefore will engage with the mouth of the fish.
One feature of the present invention is to provide two generally perpendicular recesses formed in the base portion of the sinker to receive the eye of a fishhook for non-rotatably aligning the fishhook with respect to the sinker.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide a generally conical body having an elliptical cross section surrounding the two recesses to rotate the barb of the fishhook toward the upper or lower portion of the fish's mouth when the fish strikes the hook and sinker, thereby increasing the likelihood of engaging the hook barb.
Additional objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.